Dying Wish
by kittylover1890
Summary: Post-Enerjak: Reborn. Dr. Finitevus comes to New Mobotropolis to visit a dying friend. And then Knuckles discovers him there... My take on a bit of the Doctor's mysterious past. Dr. FinitevusXOC implied. No flames.


**Dying Wish **

Everyone in New Mobotropolis was worried for their new friend, a twenty-two-year-old Echidna named Rose-Lyn, whom they all called Rose. Her illness, cancer, had taken a turn for the worst recently, and she had just been released from Tommy Turtle Memorial Hospital, thinking she would be more comfortable at home. It was all the doctors could do- her condition was terminal.

Princess Sally Acorn paced around outside Rose's house; Sonic had just gone in to see if it was all right if he and Sally visited Rose. Knuckles, Sally's longtime friend and the Guardian of Angel Island, was with her. He wished to visit Rose, as well.

Suddenly Sonic, a stunned expression on his face, burst out of the house.

"Sonic! What is it?" asked Sally.

"It's Rose! She's in bed again!" Sonic answered cryptically.

"Is she still not feeling well? I knew they released her too early!" Knuckles exclaimed.

"No, no- I mean, she still looked tired, but she wasn't alone!"

"Wasn't alone?" Knuckles asked. "What do you mean? Someone was in bed with her?"

"Yeah! It was-"

"I'll go see for myself," said Knuckles, charging into the house.

"Knux, wait-" Sonic called, but Knuckles ignored him.

"Be careful!" Sally called.

"Oh, man- this is gonna be bad," Sonic groaned.

_Whoever it is, they better not be hurting her, _Knuckles thought as he stomped up to Rose's room.

He threw the door open. "Rose! Hi, it's me. Are you all-?"

He stopped in his tracks when he saw Rose's bed partner.

"You! What the hell are you doing here?!" Knuckles bellowed. "And how the hell did you get past NICOLE's security measures?!"

Dr. Finitevus, smiling snidely, looked up at Knuckles. "We meet again, Guardian," Finitevus said calmly.

"Get out," Knuckles growled, stalking toward them. "Get off her, right now."

"I shall do no such thing," Finitevus replied. "I am here by the will of the here-present young woman."

"What?!" Knuckles looked at Rose in disbelief. "Is that true?! You _wanted_ him here?!"

"Knuckles, please, you don't understand…" Rose said softly.

"Leave us, Guardian," said Finitevus, his smile vanishing, replaced by a snarl. "I am in the midst of granting a dying wish."

This took Knuckles by complete surprise.

"Why do you look that way? Surely you knew of the nature of her illness? That her cancer is terminal?"

"Yes, I do know, but-" Anguished, Knuckles looked at Rose. "Rose…_why him?_"

"Please hear me out, Knuckles. I, like he, came from Albion. I knew him before he was like this. We were friends then, and I haven't seen him in years. For old times' sake, I contacted him. I felt he should know what's happened to me since we parted. I left Albion several years ago, when I was seventeen, before the Doctor's transformation, and I wanted to see him again before I died. I have always loved Dr. Finitevus, Knuckles, but only now have I gotten the courage to tell him. "

Knuckles could hardly process this. "You- you _love_ that monster?! Rose, however he was when you knew him, he is not the same Echidna anymore! Do you have any idea what he's done this past year?!"

Rose began to climb out of bed, pulling a heavy blanket with her to cover herself. After she wrapped herself in it, she staggered toward Knuckles. Her weak legs gave out and she dropped to her knees about eight feet away from him. Finitevus, crying her name, jumped out of the bed and knelt beside her, placing his hands on her blanket-shrouded arms to support her.

"I do. Don't think I don't. I know he's not the same. But I also know that… Oh, Knuckles, you just don't understand! Yes, I know he's different! I know he's done some horrible things since I knew him! But we parted ways as friends when I left Albion, and while I _am_ sorry for everything he's done to you, Knuckles, Dr. Finitevus is not _my_ enemy! He has never done anything to hurt me- he was my friend, and he was always there for me when I was younger! My own parents hardly paid attention to me; my brother was the favored one in our family. I was shy and insecure, and Dr. Finitevus gave me confidence! Encouragement! He was there for me when no one else was! He cared, when no one else seemed to! I dreamed of exploring Mobius, and he encouraged me to leave Albion and follow my dream! Don't you understand? It is hard for me to let go of that! To let go of what we used to be to each other!"

Finitevus spoke up. "Get out, Guardian. This is no affair of yours. I haven't forgotten Rose, either." Apparently Finitevus had known her by that name once upon a time as well. "She was there for me, too. All through my career as a scientist, at least during the years I knew her, even when others doubted me, she was there to encourage me. For five years we were friends, there when we needed each other. She may be years younger than me, but I have always felt we had a connection. Can't I show a little sympathy and compassion to a dying friend? Or don't you understand those things?"

Knuckles clenched his fists and teeth. "Oh, _I_ understand perfectly. I worry for Rose because those are things _you_ don't understand! You don't understand sympathy, compassion, friendship, or love, Finitevus. You might have Rose fooled, but you don't fool me. You might've had a heart once, Finitevus, but you lost it when you turned into _this_. You don't feel anything for her. You came when she called and you're here with her like this and… I can't see how you can do this to her, Finitevus! This act is supposed to be an expression of love, and _love is something you can't feel!!_" Knuckles yelled. "You never do anything for anyone without helping yourself, too, somehow. You are completely selfish. With you, there's always an ulterior motive. What do you want from Rose, Finitevus? You have a lot of nerve to come here and take advantage of her when she's in this condition!"

Rose had tears on her face. "Knuckles, please stop…" she said softly.

"Go away, Guardian. Can't you see you're upsetting Rose?" Finitevus snarled. "I have no ulterior motive here. I only wish to repay her for her years of loyalty in Albion. She and her friendship are some of the only memories I have that are _worth_ remembering from that technological cesspool!"

"Uh, huh. And I'm sure that, were she in perfect health, you would try to make a lackey out of her. Take advantage of your past friendship. Make her an expendable underling whose usefulness to you is limited. A pawn you would have no feelings for whatsoever; a pawn you would have no qualms about sacrificing for your evil ends!" Knuckles shouted. "Not that you have real feelings for her _now_."

"Believe what you wish, Guardian. But I am not here today to fight you. I am here solely to grant an old friend's dying wish, to acknowledge how she felt- how she still feels- for me. To see her before she dies, while I still can. If you cannot understand that, then leave us in peace and get out!" Finitevus snapped.

"Whatever, Finitevus. You'll never convince me that you're doing this out of the goodness of your heart, because _there __**is**__ no goodness in your heart!_" Now Knuckles looked at Rose. "For your sake, Rose, I'll let him go this time. But if I ever catch you in this town again, Finitevus, you're dead. You got that?" That said, he turned to walk out of the room.

"You _will_ see him again, Knuckles. I've asked Dr. Finitevus to come to my funeral," said Rose. "Please don't make trouble there!"

Snorting, Knuckles slammed the door. "You won't be there to stop me, Rose," he muttered.

"What happened up there, Knuckles?" asked Sally when he rejoined her and Sonic. "We heard an awful lot of shouting."

"Finitevus," replied Knuckles. "He was visiting an old friend. Granting a dying wish. And that's all I'll say."

Back up in Rose's bedroom, Finitevus looked at his terminally ill friend. "Rose, I do not understand. That was highly illogical- not to mention very dangerous. Why did you do that? You are so ill, and yet you defended me. You risked everything, the wrath of my hated enemy and the potential hastening of your own death, to defend me. Why?"

"Anything for a friend. Even if he isn't quite the same person anymore," Rose replied with an enigmatic smile.

**~The End~**

Sonic, Knuckles © Sonic Team, Sega.

Sally, Dr. Finitevus, New Mobotropolis © Archie Comics.

Rose the Echidna © Me.

Posted on , August 1, 2009


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